Workforce Shortages Plague Rural Hospitals, Legislation to Address It Stalls

With 2023 being the least productive year in Congress since 1933, legislation that could help rural hospitals with their workforce issues continues to wait for any action by lawmakers.

Advocates for rural hospitals and healthcare facilities say that workforce issues are one of the biggest challenges facing rural healthcare facilities currently.

Brock Slabach, COO of the National Rural Health Association, said the cost of the rural healthcare workforce is one of the things putting strain on the rural healthcare system. With pandemic-era assistance gone, inflation has had an impact on...